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Rao
Rao(ツヅラオ, Tsudzurao) is a character that appears in Okami. She was a priestess who was possessed by the Oni island demon Ninetails. Rao used prayer slips to purify cursed doors to help Amaterasu pass through. Personality Not much of the real Rao's personality is revealed due to her death before Amaterasu gets a chance to meet her, but Evil Rao's impersonation appears to be so similar to no-one can tell the difference. Rao appears to be a kind-hearted and generous person who honours Queen Himiko and is very loyal in her position as Regent of Sei'an City. Most of the residents of the city have come to see her as a figure of hope and trust. However, she acts oddly in some instances, which later causes Amaterasu to discover her true identity (for example, she abandons Amaterasu and Issun when they are attacked by the Water Dragon). Oddly, Rao does not seem to notice Issun's attraction to her. This may be because she is unused to the ways of humans. Appearance Rao is very beautiful, and as a result a large number of characters seem to be attracted to her. She has a large pair of jiggly bosoms, which Issun refers to alot. She wears a nun's hood as well as a necklace of beads and a purple dress with a yellow sash. When she changes to her 'Evil Rao' form, her outfit changes as well. She gains a fox mask and arm guards and moves her hood further back to allow space for her ears. She wields a smaller version of Ninetails's sword. The sword has a brush on the end of it, but she never uses it. There some obvious differences between the 'Real Rao' and 'Evil Rao' in terms of clothing: Although their outfit is mostly the same, Real Rao wears blue beads and shows both of her eyes, but Evil Rao wears red beads and covers one eye with her hair to conceal the fact that she is missing an eye. Story Background The real Rao was killed by Ninetails. Ninetails then takes her human form to get close to Queen Himiko. Okami Her true identity is revealed when Amaterasu and Otohime see something attacking 'Rao' in the crystal ball. They rush to Ankoku Temple, only to be led by real Rao's ghost to a hidden passageway that leads to Himiko's Palace. After finding Himiko's attendant knocked out, they head to Himiko's room, only to find her dead with the crystal ball nearby. Rao is nearby, trembling in fear. She tells Amaterasu that "a great beast ten times (her) height attacked Himiko and killed her." However, Amaterasu wasn't fooled, and attacked Rao. This causes Rao to show her true form, which is actually Ninetails. Strategy Rao fights in a similar style to Waka. She is ver nimble and uses her sword to attack. She can also use a dive-bomb attack to strike from above. All of her attacks are close-combat, so it is best to attack from afar or very quickly to avoid her attacks. Rosaries are best for this. Exorcism Slips can also be used. Quotes *"Melons?" *"I will honor my duty with my life!" *"Amaterasu... You foolish beast! To think that you parted with this mighty source of magic so easily! Know that it was you who revived the power of the Dark Lord!" Trivia *The character of Rao was based on Happyaku Bikuni, a nun of japanese legend. *When Amaterasu and Issun are watching Rao in Otohime's crystal ball, it is a message from the past showing Ninetails chasing down Real Rao, and Evil Rao taking her place. *Evil Rao is not the only form Ninetails can take. According to the her Bestiary entry, it took the form of a man wearing a fox's mask to enter Sei'an City and attack the real Rao. *It is Ghost of Real Rao who guides Amaterasu and Issun to Ankoku Temple and back through the secret passage to Himiko's castle, where Evil Rao has killed Himiko. *Evil Rao wears the same mask as Ninetails. *In the Okami Official Artbook it is revealed that the Real Rao would be reborn as a flower in front of the secret passage, near a grave which has been built for her remains. *Evil Rao seems to have no trouble breathing underwater, as she appears briefly in the Dragon Palace to take the Fox Rods. Also, during the Water Dragon attack, she is seen to be capable of walking on water. *As stated in the art book, the real Rao showed both her eyes and wore a blue-beaded necklace, opposed to the Rao seen in the the present day, who sports a red-beaded necklace and covering her right eye with her hair. It is also stated in the art book that the imposter was missing the said eye. This can be seen when Ninetails' true form is revealed in the final battle: one of its eyes is visibly blinded. *Evil Rao has a paint brush at the end of her sword, like how Ninetails can use her tails like a Celestial Brush and like the brush on Issun's sword. However, Evil Rao never uses her brush for some reason. *Even though Rao is actually the Demon Lord Ninetails in disguise Amaterasu can still use the bloom techique to make "Rao" pet her. She also reacts to Power Slash and Cherry Bomb, like ordinary NPCs. It is likely that this was all part of her elaborate act. *There are two hints in the early second story arc that reveals "Rao's" true intentions. **When Amaterasu and Issun are attacked by the Water Dragon, Rao abandons them and escapes by hopping on the water. She then takes a great leap and escapes when the Water dragon goes for her. A virtuous person wouldn't have left them to be eaten, and not even a powerful priestess is capable of walking on water nor would she be fast enough to evade the dragon. It is also interesting that the dragon goes for her, although Amaterasu and Issun are right in front of it. Later, when Ammy and Issun meet her again, she seems surprised that they survived, which again implies that she expected them to die. **In the Sunken Ship, Rao needs help in targeting with her prayer slips, asking help from Amaterasu to guide the slips with her Celestial Brush. This game mechanic hints that she isn't the prayer slips' true owner since the real Rao would have known how to use them without any aid whereas "Rao" seems inexperienced and needs Ammy's help in throwing them accurately. This is referenced in one part of the game when, if you talk to a man in the queue outside Rao's lecture theater, he says he once saw Rao fighting monsters and she was truly fearsome. This suggests Rao was a powerful fighter on her own, so it seems odd that she would need Ammy's help. * Evil Rao (in human form) is the only major enemy/boss to appear on the game's start screen. All the other characters on the screen are protagonists or Imps. Category:Okami Characters